


When in Nature

by prubun



Series: RusPru Multi-Chapter Fics [9]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Camping, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:52:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23796433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prubun/pseuds/prubun
Summary: Editor Gilbert Beilschmidt joins nature photographer Ivan Braginsky on his next trip into the wilderness to get first-hand experience to write an article. Over the week, he learns how to do things he's never done before, finds that being disconnected from his busy city life isn't so bad, and develops a bond with Ivan that neither was prepared for.
Relationships: Russia/Prussia
Series: RusPru Multi-Chapter Fics [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1401418
Comments: 19
Kudos: 29





	1. Pick a Spot

**Author's Note:**

>   
>    
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** [Posted: April 22, 2020] **
> 
> I started writing this fic in February and wrote a ton for it, but I got side-tracked with other projects and kind of abandoned it. I was editing what I had written and I ended up cutting the chapters I had down into more bite-sized pieces, so now I have enough for a few full chapters.
> 
> So, hope you enjoy the start of this silly fluffy RusPru fic!

Ivan was not a nervous person by nature — his daily life was rough and he risked running into wild animals and getting lost, yet his palms began to sweat as he gripped the steering wheel of his baby blue SUV. The only sound in the vehicle was the blinker clicking as it pulsed green on his dashboard, indicating that he was turning right. He leaned forward a bit to look in both directions, inching the car forward just slightly as he prepared to make the turn. As he did, his passenger instinctively leaned back in his seat as if he was in the way. The action made Ivan suck his lips between his teeth, then finally he made the turn as he sighed heavily through his nose.

He followed the road up onto the highway, leading them away from the city. Ivan had made the trip countless times before, but this time was different in the sole fact that there was another person in the car with him. Gilbert Beilschmidt — a young albino man just a year or so younger than Ivan; he worked as an editor for a magazine that Ivan often sold his photos to. Gilbert was several inches shorter than Ivan's 6'4'' and looked like he weighed half of his weight with how scrawny he seemed. Paired with his oversized sweater, tight pants, black-rimmed glasses, and beanie, Ivan thought he was dealing with a hipster art student who had never gone camping a day in his life. Although Gilbert didn't seem to be a bad person.

There were many aspects to the trip that didn't sit right with Ivan, such as why a simple editor wanted to do field research, but Gilbert had loudly insisted on coming with Ivan on his next trip and refused to take no for an answer; Ivan saw a fire in his eyes and it made it hard to refuse, so now he was stuck with him for a week. However, despite Gilbert's rather energetic personality back at his agency, Ivan hadn't expected the man to be so awkward and quiet once in the car and didn't expect Gilbert's awkwardness to make him feel uneasy as well. Ivan enjoyed the quiet — it was one of the reasons he enjoyed being in nature so much, but the silence was unnatural and uncomfortable, making it almost hard to breathe.

"So," Ivan started and cleared his throat. "Do you have any questions?"

"What?" Gilbert replied quickly without thinking, then retracted into his seat as he pushed his glasses up. "Oh, well, um... I'm not sure. I've never really been camping," he answered properly. Ivan inhaled quietly, one of his hands gripped the wheel tighter while the other ran through his ash-blond bangs.

"Never been camping? At all? Not even when you were a kid?"

"Mm," Gilbert hummed. "Parents wouldn't let me outside much so I was stuck in the house. Things like camping weren't an option. Don't think we were that type of family either though."

"I see," Ivan replied but didn't take his eyes off the road.

"But I'm excited! I've heard camping is fun," Gilbert spoke with enthusiasm. Ivan sighed again, this time out loud.

"It won't be a walk in the park. This isn't like going to a campground where they have power and bathrooms with showers and flushable toilets," Ivan told him. Gilbert raised his pale eyebrows, smiling through a grimace, hoping that Ivan was exaggerating. "This is the wilderness, in the forest a few hours away. You won't have power and cell service will be spotty," he explained further. Gilbert bit his lip and looked out the window at the other cars driving. It sounded awful to be so disconnected from technology — his entire life revolved around it. 

"Wait a second," Gilbert suddenly started. "Isn't that forest full of wolves and bears?" 

"How do you think I snapped that photo of a bear fishing in the river?" he asked and stole a quick side glance to Gilbert before looking back to the road, just enough to see the man visibly shift in his seat.

"Isn't that dangerous?" he inquired with a hint of worry in his voice. Ivan cracked a smile and chuckled at how alarmed Gilbert sounded.

"Don't worry, we're not going to that part of the forest. We're going to an area less populated by predators," Ivan told him.

"Only less?"

"I say that because I don't think you even know how to fend off raccoons," Ivan teased. "Have you ever even _seen_ a raccoon?"

"I've seen a damn raccoon," Gilbert defended himself in annoyance.

"One that wasn't on TV or at a zoo?" Ivan questioned with a raised eyebrow. Gilbert huffed in irritation, crossed his arms, then slumped down in his seat. His seatbelt dug into his neck a little but he refused to move — some twisted form of retaliation that didn't make any logical sense since it only hurt himself.

"Shut up," he grumbled and turned his gaze out the window. Ivan grinned for a few seconds longer before thinking maybe he pushed too much.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I don't mean to make fun of you," he spoke genuinely. "Honestly, I'm confused about why you wanted to come with me in the first place. We don't know each other that well, you don't seem to like the idea of camping, and you're just an editor," he said. Gilbert scoffed and glared towards him.

"Is that all I am?" he growled under his breath.

"Sorry, what?" Ivan blinked in confusion.

"Nothing, just drive," Gilbert dismissed, yanked out his phone in a huff and began to mess with it. In truth, he wasn't doing anything other than opening and closing random apps or reading emails he'd already replied to. He felt uncomfortable and tried to make it look like he was absorbed in something. In reality, he had nothing.

After a minute, he reluctantly typed something into his search bar.

_'how to fend off raccoons'_

After an hour or so, the city surroundings gave way to flat farmland, small clusters of trees, and the occasional pond before a thick forest line crept towards them on the horizon. After turning down some country roads that were far less populated than the city streets, Gilbert sat forward and began to look out the window more. Another hour passed and the roads turned to dirt and gravel, which took Gilbert by surprise and he gasped when the wheels first hit it. Ivan was a bit amused by how inexperienced Gilbert was with something as simple as a dirt road but didn't comment about it. 

After almost 2 full hours Ivan eventually spoke up and told Gilbert that they were nearing the spot for the camp. A few minutes later, he turned down a small path between some trees and began driving on a two-track through thick trees brimming with leaves of red, gold, and green that caused the afternoon sun to flicker. More time passed as Ivan weaved between trees and small hills before Ivan took another turn deeper into the forest. Eventually, he pulled out into a grassy clearing between the trees.

"Well, here we are," Ivan said after he stopped the car and turned the engine off.

Gilbert unbuckled his seatbelt and sat forward, then adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he took in his surroundings. There was nothing around except trees and grass and it was quiet and serene. For a moment he appreciated it, but then the paranoid side of his brain kicked in a few hours too late and he shifted his eyes to Ivan, who had shoved his keys into his pocket and released his seatbelt. The sudden realization that he was now alone in the woods with a stranger invaded Gilbert's mind — he was sure he'd seen some horror movie that started like this, but whether Ivan was the murderer or the murderer was some monster lurking in the woods was yet to be seen.

When Ivan looked at him, he flinched back a little. His reaction seemed to confuse Ivan but not enough to question it.

"Well? Ready to set up camp?" he asked. Gilbert looked like a deer in headlights for a second before nodding.

"Yeah, sure."

Ivan opened his door, got out of the SUV, and walked towards the back. Gilbert took a deep breath, told himself he was being an idiot, and then got out of the vehicle as well. He opened the backseat doors, grabbed his backpack, and then looked up at the sky; luckily it was fairly cloudy and he wouldn't have to worry as much about being in the sun. After that thought, he joined Ivan. Gilbert stood by, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, awkwardly watching Ivan move things around in the trunk before finally speaking.

"Can I, uh...help with anything?" Gilbert asked. Ivan pulled himself out of the rear of the SUV and looked at him.

"Hm... Maybe look for a place for the tent? Look for a mostly flat spot, move any big rocks that might cause a problem, but don't get too close to the treeline," Ivan suggested and went back to pulling stuff out of the car. Gilbert nodded and turned on his heel to look around; the grass wasn't too high in the area so he figured any spot would be good. As he began to walk towards the field to get a better look, there was a swell in his chest of excitement, a giddiness in his stomach. Something about being out in the fresh air like that—truly being out in the wilderness—was breathtaking and refreshing. 

Once he reached the area, he glanced around for anything that would be noticeably an issue. At first glance, it seemed okay, but as he walked around it he wondered if it would be a big enough area. Then he wondered how big the tent was and that made him get a whole new set of worries of sleeping so close to another person, not having a lot of space for himself. He rolled his eyes at himself and went back to looking for rocks and checking if the ground was flat, stomping his foot in various places. It felt solid and flat enough but he wasn't sure if an expert camper like Ivan would find it acceptable.

"So? How's it look?" Ivan's voice from behind startled him and he turned quickly to see the man carrying two large bags, one over his shoulder and the other in his hand.

"Looks okay to me, but I'm a newbie at this, so," Gilbert answered with a playful lilt. Ivan took a glance around himself and then nodded in approval. 

"Looks fine." Ivan dropped the bags on the ground, unzipped one, and started to pull stuff out.

"Can I help?" Gilbert asked. Ivan looked up at him, noticed the eager look on his face; he appreciated Gilbert's willingness despite being a city boy who'd never even been camping.

"Do you know how to pitch a tent?" Ivan asked with a raised eyebrow. Gilbert pouted at him and glared, crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto one hip.

"No, I don't, but you could teach me instead of patronizing me," Gilbert growled. Ivan grinned slightly and stood up. 

"Alright, come on then." Ivan stood up and then tossed the bag he'd opened over to Gilbert. The man lunged to catch it with a surprised yelp and stumbled with it as he regained his posture. "Take everything out of that bag, separate the rods, and unfold the tent."

Watching Gilbert attempt to follow his instructions was hilarious. The rods disconnected and then swayed downward in Gilbert's hands, knocking into his arms and made him growl in frustration. Then he pulled the tent out. Part of it got stuck on the bag and he started to yank on it.

"Careful, if you rip my tent we'll both be in trouble," Ivan warned.

"Tell it to cooperate with me then," Gilbert retorted.

Ivan stood up, walked to him, then placed one hand on the bag, the other on Gilbert's hand to make him stop. The touch startled Gilbert and he flinched but didn't pull away.

"Don't be so impatient. Peel the bag back from the tent and take it out slowly." Gilbert followed his words and, as gently as he could given his irritation, shoved his hand into the bag, grabbed the other end of the tent, then pulled it out. "See? Wasn't so hard. Now let's get it set up."

Over the next 10 minutes or so, Ivan had Gilbert unfold the tent with him, lay it on the flattest area of the ground they could find, and then told him to grab those thin rods and bring them to him. Ivan showed Gilbert how to attach them and thread them through the loops to give the tent its bowed pyramid shape, and then lifted it into place. Ivan wanted to test Gilbert's endurance and ability to figure things out and, honestly, the boy seemed to be eager to learn, so he handed him a mallet and some metal hooked pegs and told him to go around the tent and hammer 2 pegs into each loop to hold the tent down. As he did, Ivan put the rain cover on and attached it, just in case. After that, he made his way around the tent and inspected Gilbert's handiwork.

"So? How'd I do? Does it look alright?" Gilbert asked eagerly. Ivan gave a gentle tug on one of the pegs as he passed and it didn't budge.

"Looks good. Should hold up." He stood and then looked at Gilbert, noticed some dirt speckling the white skin of his hands. "Feels good to get your hands dirty, doesn't it?" he teased. Gilbert glanced down and grimaced.

"Feels gross. It's under my nails," the man complained.

"Get used to it princess," Ivan jabbed and started to walk towards his SUV. "Soon enough you'll have dirt lodged in places you didn't know you had." As Ivan spoke Gilbert raised an eyebrow — he was uncertain which part of the other's statement unnerved him more. After rummaging around in the back of the vehicle again, Ivan made his way back to Gilbert and their little camp with two thick bags under his arms. He didn't say anything to Gilbert as he passed him and went directly to the tent, opened it, then stepped inside.

Curious, Gilbert stepped over and peeked in. It was dim and had a strange scent, somewhere between musky and plastic, and something else. Ivan had knelt and untied some strings from bags, then removed the contents of it. Out came two large rolled-up pads that Gilbert could only assume would be used as mattresses to sleeping on. He watched Ivan lay them out in the tent side-by-side, and that's when another thought hit Gilbert — albeit a stupid one after seeing how small the tent was, but he supposed it was only logical since Ivan usually went on these trips alone; he didn't need a lot of space. He realized how close he'd be sleeping to this stranger.

"So what's next?" Gilbert asked in an attempt to get his mind off his stupid invasive thoughts.

"We'll bring in all the blankets and pillows, make sure all our stuff is in here, then we'll go collect some wood for a fire." Ivan stood up and turned to Gilbert and saw him curiously peeking in from the outside. "Sorry it's a little small, I hope it won't be an issue?" he asked. Gilbert felt his stomach turn a bit.

"Oh no! Not at all! I've just never been inside a tent before, so..." he mumbled bashfully. He knew it was a strange thing to be excited for, especially to Ivan who did this so often. Ivan started to move towards the other. Instinctually, Gilbert shifted out of the way and backed up. Ivan stepped out, zipped the entrance shut, and then stood back to look over the tent.

"Something wrong? Did I mess up?" Gilbert asked with an accusatory tone, but Ivan chuckled and laughed.

"Nope. I was just checking. You did good, thanks for helping. It would have taken much longer if you weren't here, so I appreciate the help," Ivan spoke genuinely. Gilbert rubbed at his neck and didn't look at the other. He didn't know why he felt so awkward about helping out or being thanked for it; of course Ivan would thank him for assisting him, but it was still something new for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you for reading!  
>  Remember to leave a comment if you enjoyed! Thank you! 💕**
> 
> **Author's Notes:**  
>  •This fic is extremely self-indulgent for me as I spent most of my childhood in a tent or camper in the woods and I'm a weird mix of both Ivan and Gilbert; I hate being without tech but I can build fantastic fires.
> 
> **—**
> 
> **Social links:** <https://linktr.ee/prubun>


	2. Be Careful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** [Posted: May 14, 2020] **
> 
> It took me long enough to get this posted haha. Here's chapter 2! Enjoy more Gilbert failing at camping!

After moving their items from the SUV to the tent and setting up the sleeping area, which Gilbert admittedly found rather fun to do — it was like setting up a big pillow fort like he used to do as a child — Ivan asked Gilbert to help him gather wood for a fire. So, following his lead, Gilbert accompanied him to the nearby woods to find any fallen trees or branches that would be easy to burn. 

Eventually, Ivan came across a fairly large branch that seemed to have fallen from a nearby tree. Watching as Ivan examined it, Gilbert circled him and just gazed through the trees. It was so dense that the further he looked out, the more it turned to a mesh of brown, yellow, and red, and the deep green of the several pine trees as well. For a moment he found himself wondering what creatures lay within the forest, although he remembered Ivan saying before that it was safe for them. Or at least safer than other parts of the forest and mountain areas.

"Gilbert?" Ivan said his name. Gilbert shook his head quickly as he spun on his heel to look at Ivan, who now had the log hoisted onto his right shoulder. "You okay?"

"Mm," the other answered with a nod. "I was just thinking. Anyway, what do you need me to do?" he asked. Ivan patted the log on his shoulder in thought.

"We need to make a fire pit, so gather up some rocks that are about the size of your hand, get enough to make a circle," he told him. Gilbert tried to picture what size of rock he was supposed to find, but also didn't know how many would make up a circle.

"Um..." Gilbert mumbled out loud.

"What?" Ivan noticed how confused the man looked standing there.

"How big of a circle are we making? How many rocks do I need?" he asked. Ivan sighed softly.

"Just grab as many as you can carry for now."

Gilbert could work with that, but as he started to collect the rocks, he noticed as he was about to pick up the 4th one that he was already having trouble carrying them in his arms. He glanced around the ground as if that was going to help him with a solution. Meanwhile, Ivan stood by just watching, curious about how this city boy was going to solve his issue of carrying so many rocks.

Eventually, an idea sparked in Gilbert's head but he groaned as he thought of it. He knelt, placed one of the rocks on the dirt, then grabbed the bottom of his black sweater. Pulling it out a bit, he made a small pouch with the fabric and then started to pile the rocks in. Ivan chuckled to himself as Gilbert gathered more and more rocks, finding it amusing — both how determined Gilbert was but also the man's discomfort with dirtying his clothes.

"Be careful. Are you sure you can carry that many?" Ivan asked in a teasing tone and got an irritated glare in response.

"Be quiet. You can't tell but I work out, I can handle it!" Gilbert boasted and turned on his heel and began walking in search of more rocks.

His foot suddenly snagged under a raised tree root, his body collapsed, and an almost screechy yelp came from him as he tumbled to the ground. Ivan dropped the log in his hands and rushed over to Gilbert. Despite previously being cocky about it, he was worried since Gilbert had fallen forward and seemed to land directly on the pile of rocks he had been carrying. As Ivan neared him, Gilbert groaned and sat on his butt, then looked at his hands and saw dirt and small pebbles embedded into his skin, the flesh now red and scraped. Ivan knelt in front of him.

"Are you okay? I told you to be careful." Ivan grabbed one of Gilbert's wrists and looked at his palm. Luckily there didn't seem to be too much damage, although it would likely hurt for the next day or so.

"I'm fine," Gilbert growled and yanked his hand back. "Don't make fun of me," he warned, though looked more embarrassed, feeling as if Ivan was looking down on him. As he shifted his body, he winced in pain and then grabbed at his stomach. Something burned and stung his skin under his sweater and he grimaced. 

Ivan noticed it and became even more worried. Without thinking, Ivan reached forward, grabbed Gilbert's sweater, and pulled it up.

"H-Hey! What are you doing? Stop!" Gilbert yelled as his cheeks went a bit flushed and jerked back in confusion.

"Let me see how bad it is, I need to make sure you're not hurt," Ivan spoke with an intensity Gilbert hadn't heard from him yet and the man's eyes were directly on him. Against his better judgment, though seeing that look in Ivan's eyes, Gilbert relaxed his body a bit and allowed the other to lift his sweater, and the chilly early autumn air hit his previously warm skin and made him shiver. As Ivan looked over his skin, he saw a red mark just to the side of his belly button that was bleeding from the top layer of skin being scraped off. "You're bleeding. The rocks scraped your skin pretty bad," he told him. "We should get some peroxide and a bandage on it soon." Ivan grabbed Gilbert's arm and helped him off the ground.

"What about the wood and rocks?" Gilbert asked as Ivan dragged him away, glancing at the scattering of rocks getting further and further away.

"We'll come back for them, first we'll get you taken care of." Ivan's hand was tight on Gilbert's wrist and part of him wanted to yank away and tell Ivan to stop treating him like a baby and like he was made of glass. But when he thought about what he did — how he tried to prove himself by carrying more than he could handle and didn't pay attention — and he realized maybe he deserved to be treated like that.

Back in the tent, Ivan began to go through some of the bags he'd brought inside until he found a small white box with a red cross on the top. He opened it and pulled some items out of it.

"Take your shirt off or lift it, either way. And lay down."

Gilbert wanted to refuse but the pain was starting to get worse the more his sweater rubbed against the wound, and he knew it would only feel worse if he left it, so he reluctantly laid down and lifted his sweater and waited. It was cold and it felt awkward to wait as Ivan pulled out a bandage, a small brown bottle, a cotton ball, as well as a water bottle from another bag and a washcloth. He poured some water on the cloth and then gently dabbed it against Gilbert's skin, which made him grunt softly and Ivan apologized, but then proceeded to clean the bits of blood from his skin. After, he unscrewed the cap from the brown bottle, poured some of the liquid onto a cotton ball, and then moved towards Gilbert again.

"Sorry if this stings," he warned and hesitated for a second. Gilbert had his face turned away from him and for those few seconds Ivan found his eyes wandering across Gilbert's stomach and belly, how his abdomen was toned and jutted down in a soft V shape that disappeared into his pants. Ivan also noted that Gilbert was much thinner than he looked since he had been wearing a bulky sweater, and his waist was pretty narrow.

"Ow!" Gilbert hissed and tilted his head back a bit as Ivan pressed the cotton ball to the wound, wincing as it stung.

"Sorry, bear with it," Ivan apologized again and continued to clean the wound, though he couldn't help but notice how Gilbert's body twitched as he did; he felt bad. It had only been a few hours and the man had already gotten hurt, and despite Ivan's initial hesitation about the entire trip, he didn't want Gilbert to hate it and want to go home. 

After he felt it was clean enough, he retrieved a large flat bandage, took it out of its package, and then pressed it to Gilbert's belly. He made sure the adhesive was stuck well, then sat back. Realizing Ivan was done, Gilbert sat up and pulled his shirt down; the bandage felt weird on his skin but he was glad that it was properly clean. He looked at his sweater which was now dusted with dirt along with his pants; it annoyed him but at least he didn't get seriously hurt. He felt a bit stupid for not even thinking to bring any first aid equipment.

"Let me see your hands," Ivan said. Gilbert did so held his hands out to Ivan who then took and inspected them. "The scrapes aren't too bad, but just to be safe..." Ivan spoke as he took another cotton ball and cleaned each hand carefully and thoroughly, while Gilbert sat there in silence feeling a mix of embarrassment and oddly like he was being patronized and coddled; even though he knew that Ivan was just trying to help, he couldn't deny that he felt like a child being quietly scolded.

"Thanks..." Gilbert muttered once Ivan was done, lifting his gaze to the other. 

"No problem. I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself too bad," Ivan said, but then his expression dropped — brows furrowed and he frowned in worry. "Please try to be more careful. I know collecting rocks might not seem dangerous but you could have hit your head or twisted your ankle." As Ivan spoke, he reached up and pulled a small twig out of Gilbert's hair, then smiled crookedly as he held it. "We're quite a ways away from any hospitals and I can only do simple first aid," he said. Gilbert lowered his head submissively into his shoulders. Even if he was irritated that he got hurt on the first day, he understood that he had to be careful from now on, but he still didn't like being told such things.

"Sorry," was all Gilbert said. Ivan sighed and just hoped that Gilbert took his words to heart and wasn't just sulking because his pride was bruised. Ivan stood up and grabbed two bags.

"I'll go get the wood and rocks we left, I'll be back in a few minutes—"

"Hey now! Wait a second!" Gilbert climbed to his knees, stood up, and looked Ivan in the face with sharp determination. "I'm not dying! I can still help, y'know!" he yelled. For a moment Ivan blinked widely at him in surprise, but then a soft cheeky grin curled his lips.

"Good," Ivan chirped and then shoved one of the bags towards Gilbert's chest. He was pleased with his response. "Let's go."

After venturing back into the woods and gathering their materials, they started to build up the camp more. By that time the sun had lowered into the trees, they were losing light, and the air was getting chillier. Ivan instructed Gilbert to begin making a rock circle a bit away from the tent and big enough for a fire, and while Gilbert was busy trying to get the rock circle "perfect" despite stumbling with his hurt hands, Ivan had begun to chop the large log he found into smaller pieces using a small hand ax. 

When about half of the log was chopped into small manageable pieces, Ivan had begun to get warm and removed his red plaid flannel, then went back to chopping. Gilbert heard the movement and took his attention off the rocks—which he was still meticulously placing—and looked over his shoulder. He found himself unable to look away for a moment. Under his flannel, Ivan wore a fairly tight white T-shirt that showed off his muscular and broad body. Whereas before Gilbert thought that the man was big and bulky, he suddenly realized how nice of a body Ivan had. Gilbert blushed a little, pursed his bottom lip out, and then turned back to the rocks and tried not to think about it as he heard the chopping of wood behind him.

Then, Ivan knelt beside Gilbert with an armful of small chopped pieces of wood before he dumped them on the ground.

"I think you've got it," Ivan commented and placed some wood in the rock circle.

"What?" Gilbert questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"You've been fussing with the circle for a while, there's only so much you can do with a circle of rocks," he teased softly with a chuckle and saw Gilbert scrunch his nose up. "You're overthinking, it doesn't have to be perfect, and I think you're trying to impress me."

"Shut up." Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to help."

"I know," Ivan replied bluntly, "and you've been a big help today, but you don't have to try so hard." Ivan continued to place wood in the fire pit, creating a small bonfire structure. Gilbert watched him lean the logs against each other and tried to remember how he did it, which Ivan noticed. "Finish building the fire. Just keep doing what I was doing until it looks good."

Slightly unsure, Gilbert reached forward and started to build the fire, doing his best to recall how Ivan did it. The other shifted on his legs, kneeling more comfortably, and then watched Gilbert — it was endearing to see Gilbert interested in camping, actually learning by watching and listening and eager to do things. 

For a moment Ivan felt happiness form a small smile on his lips. It was still strange to be in this field and these woods with another person; he never thought he would ever bring someone here again, and least of all some editor who seemed to have a chip on his shoulder and didn't like getting dirty. Even though he preferred solitude, he couldn't deny that Gilbert was a pleasant change, even if a bit frustrating at times. As he watched Gilbert, more memories flooded his mind and he had to shake his head to knock himself out of it. A sadness washed over him when he realized that this was nothing like before, that Gilbert was less than a coworker, he barely knew him; but that soft flicker of warmth was enough to fool him He stood up and went to the tent for a few minutes. Gilbert turned to watch him leave and wondered what he was doing but assumed that he was grabbing something. 

He was right, but Ivan also needed to clear his head and stop thinking about the past and Gilbert in such a positive light; he needed to stop projecting emotions and feelings onto Gilbert that the man simply didn't have. When he came back, he had a small bottle in his hand and some matches in the other. Gilbert recognized the bottle as a tin of lighter fluid and grinned impishly at the other man.

"Thought we were supposed to be roughing it in the woods? Not using stuff like that?" Gilbert asked mockingly, obviously trying to get a rise out of the other. Ivan's lips formed into a rather mischievous grin and chuckled.

"Just wait until you have to take a bath in the river," he retorted to Gilbert's cheeky insolence. "I just don't want to sit here for 30 minutes while you try to get a flame going," Ivan jabbed playfully as he poured some lighter fluid on the wood, then brought out the matches. "Stand back," was all the warning he gave before he swiped a match across the side of the box and tossed it into the wood. It erupted into flames, which caused Gilbert to stumble backward onto his butt as intense heat washed over his face, but the flames flickered down and cast a soft orange glow on the surrounding area. 

"You could have warned me!" Gilbert exclaimed at Ivan.

"I did," Ivan reminded him as he stepped back into the tent. As the fire crackled more, Ivan brought some more items out — small cushions for seats, some food he brought that would keep for a week, bug repellant, and placed everything out as he was so used to doing. Gilbert had retrieved his bag from the tent and sat by the fire to keep warm as the chilly autumn night was quickly approaching — the pink and orange of the sky began to shift to darker blues and purples, shadows taking the trees.

They ate dinner comprised of canned fruits and dried meats they'd each bought before meeting up. Ivan was used to such meals but Gilbert was already craving something warmer. Of course, when he voiced that complaint, Ivan told him that he was more than welcome to heat the meat over the fire. Gilbert attempted to, but his hands got too hot so he settled for the hard and cold jerky. 

Afterward, Gilbert had set his laptop in his lap and began to type away at something. All Ivan did know was that Gilbert was focused and seemed passionate about it. Ivan remembered that Gilbert was an editor, so perhaps he was doing some work while they wound down for the evening. 

Taking a tip from Gilbert, Ivan figured he should get his camera equipment ready now that most of the camp was set up. So, he grabbed his bags, began to mess with the settings on his camera, and thought about what he'd like to shoot over the week. There were plenty of hiking and nature trails, small ponds and rivers, and other beautiful locations to check out in the area, but he had yet to decide what he wanted to do first. As he fussed with his equipment, he looked over at Gilbert, hearing him typing quickly, stopping for a few moments, and then began to type again. He was curious, and not subtle in his curiosity at all.

"Earlier, you got all prickly when I said something about you being an editor. Why?" Ivan asked. Gilbert's hands froze on his keyboard and he stared at the bright screen. He took a second to gather his thoughts and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Skipping the small talk, huh?" he deflected. "Not gonna butter me up first before you ask questions like that?"

"Somehow I feel like that wouldn't work with you," Ivan answered. "Feel like you'd appreciate me being blunt and honest."

Despite Ivan being right about that statement, Gilbert smiled but it wasn't a real smile — the type that was stiff and meant he was either on the verge of crying or getting angry. Ivan assumed it was the latter of the two.

"I got pissed because you were right, I am _just_ an editor," he said and his harsh smile faded into a frown. "But I'm here because I want to prove that I can be more." Ivan studied Gilbert's face but then looked to his fingers that had begun to type again quickly.

"You're writing an article?" Ivan inquired with a tone of realization.

"Yeah," Gilbert replied but did not take his eyes off the screen.

"You seem determined."

"I am."

"Why?" Ivan pressed more but Gilbert suddenly grabbed the top of his laptop screen in a way that risked damaging it. His white brows furrowed and he glared in seething anger toward Ivan.

"You wanna know? Fine. Tell me why you hate people so much. A secret for a secret," he demanded.

Gilbert saw Ivan's face fall darker, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. Gilbert remembered an interview that Ivan did months ago where he stated that he disliked people — claimed that they backstab one another and that he found more companionship with animals and being in nature. Gilbert didn't really care much about why, but if Ivan was going to prod his nose where it didn't belong, so would he.

"I do not want to talk about this," Ivan told him and then stood up quickly, grabbed his camera equipment, and then disappeared inside the tent without another word.

The camp became eerily quiet after that and as much as Gilbert didn't want to care, a twinge of guilt spread in his gut as well as a growing curiosity for the answer to his question. The feeling, fortunately, didn't last long and he went back to typing on his laptop, writing up ideas for his article.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you for reading!**  
>  Remember to leave a comment if you enjoyed! Thank you! 💕
> 
> Mmm do I smell angst? Oh yes I do...
> 
> **—**
> 
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